Lebanon

Lebanon is a unitary parliamentary confessionalist republic located in the Middle East, with its capital at Beirut. Lebanon has a population of 4,822,000.

History
Lebanon was founded in 1946 in the aftermath of World War II, when French Lebanon broke apart at the hands of a popular uprising. Lebanon was ruled by a Maronite president and a Muslim prime minister, and Lebanon was founded in religious unity. Lebanon was hostile towards Israel, a Jewish state to the south, and they allied with other Arab states against Israel in the Israeli War of Independence (1948-49) and the Six-Day War of 1967. In both wars, they were defeated by the Israelis, and they also failed in their quest to take control over the water flow of the Jordan River in the War over Water of 1965-67. Lebanon fell under attack from terrorists in 1979 in the South Lebanon insurgency and in 1982 Israel invaded Lebanon to assist South Lebanon Army Christian troops in fighting against the Palestine Liberation Organization troops in the country in addition to Syrian armed forces occupying Lebanon.

Lebanon was occupied by Israel until 2000, when they withdrew from their zones of occupation. In 2006 the Syrians withdrew, but not after assassinating Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005. Lebanon had a new legacy of hatred with Syria, and they fought against Syrian Arab Army and Free Syrian Army troops in a spillover conflict of the Syrian Civil War.

Culture
Lebanon has a population of 4,822,000 people, with Arabic being the official language but 40% of the people speaking French. English was also used in 30% of Lebanon's secondary schools. Lebanon is made up of 27% Sunnis, 27% Shias, 40.5% Christians (21% Maronite, 8% Greek Orthodox, 5% Greek Catholic, 1% Christian, and 5.5% other Christian), and 5.6% Druze - the minorities are Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, and Hindus.